Australian Banking Association (ABA)

Check against delivery Thank you, Chair, and members of the Committee, for the opportunity to appear today. Improving productivity is one of the defining economic challenges facing Australia, and many developed economies. Productivity ultimately determines whether real wages rise, whether Australia remains an attractive place to invest, and whether the next generation is better off than the last.

Australian banks welcome the release of new Statements of Expectations for APRA and ASIC, which put economic growth, proportionate regulation and cutting unnecessary regulatory burden at the centre of how Australia’s financial regulators operate. ABA CEO Simon Birmingham said the inclusion of growth mandates in these new statements is something the banking industry has consistently called for.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO Simon Birmingham interview on Fear + Greed Podcast with Sean Aylmer E&OE Podcast Fear + Greed 8 July 2026. Topics: Household ownership of banks; Banking as critical infrastructure Sean Aylmer: Welcome to Fear and Greed Q&A, where we ask and answer questions about business, investing, economics, politics and more. I’m Sean Aylmer. We talk plenty about the banks on this podcast.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesAPRA capital reforms a potential boost to the economy The ABA welcomes today’s consultation paper from APRA on proposed changes to bank credit risk capital settings, which have the potential to support more lending and lift productivity. ABA CEO Simon Birmingham said the consultation was a welcome step towards a more efficient capital framework while still retaining the underlying strength and stability of Australia’s banking system.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO Simon Birmingham transcript of interview on Sky News with Ross Greenwood E&OE TV Interview Sky News Business Weekend with Ross Greenwood 21 June 2026 Topics: Economic contribution of banks Ross Greenwood: Well Australia’s banks, love them or loathe them, they are a necessity. We need them strong to provide the security for lenders and depositors. We need them well-regulated to keep them from again putting profit ahead of their customers.

Our piece of work that has been released today, Mandala providing the intellectual backdrop and analysis to support us in this, the essential infrastructure in relation to the Australian Banking industry, and what it means in the Australian economy, and critically, we want and encourage that we use this as a tool.

Surging household ownership of Australian banks, record lending to first home buyers and strong competition helping mortgage holders save up to $2,000 a year are some of the findings of a new report released today.

Australian banks welcome today’s proposal from APRA and ASIC to reduce the regulatory burden associated with the Financial Accountability Regime (FAR). ABA CEO Simon Birmingham said this was a sensible measure announced in the 2026-27 Federal Budget to reduce some of the administrative burden placed on banks related to FAR. “This is a commonsense and practical proposal to streamline reporting requirements for banks and reduce administrative costs for regulators,” Mr Birmingham said.

The ABA acknowledges today’s release of designations, draft industry codes, draft rules and a government discussion paper regarding the Scam Prevention Framework (SPF).

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesPress Conference with Alliance Business Leaders E&OE Bran Black, BCA: I’m here with colleagues from industry associations that represent the length and breadth of Australia’s economy, and we’re here today to talk about a couple of key features of the Budget. What I wanted to do is just take a step back first and just talk about how we came together.